Bug sweeping: Setting a high-end client apart

Steven Lewis

The threat of hidden surveillance is real. More than 150,000 bugs — hidden microphones and cameras — are imported into Australia every year. On an eBay budget, anyone can (quite legally) buy ASIO-quality bugs.

If you thought a rival had bugged your boardroom or an ex was tracking your car, you’d be well-advised to call Security Tactics. Based in Brisbane but on-call around Australia, Security Tactics specialises in technical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM) — bug sweeping.

However, the competition is brutal between highly qualified operators like Security Tactics and anyone with $300 to spend on eBay.

The reality is that bug sweeping isn’t like what you see on TV — a quick pass over the walls with a wand. Finding tiny devices designed to stay hidden takes patience, training and tens of thousands of dollars of equipment.

Eric Hunter of Security Tactics is a former detective sergeant, trained by Queensland Police in surveillance and counter-surveillance. Cheronne McEvoy, his business partner, is a licensed private investigator. When their technicians are on the job, it’s with $50,000 of the best-in-class equipment imported from around the world.

But when your competition includes anyone with a $300 detector wand and a $20 website, how does the real deal stand out from the charlatans online?

Website copywriting for a security business

How we showcased the Security Tactics difference with copywriting

“We tried to write our own website a hundred different times,” says Eric. “Encapsulating in words what made us distinct was our biggest difficulty. We decided we needed a copywriter, but not just a web developer who dabbled in copywriting or someone who’d take what we wrote and re-order it a bit.”

1

We went undercover with Security Tactics

Our copywriter, Steven Lewis, interviewed Eric and Cheronne multiple times to get deep into the TCSM business, the type of devices they were up against and the full range of their business — from corporate security managers through lawyers with high-profile clients to the victims of stalking.

2

We spied on the competition

Competitors' websites were generally badly written, some read like a gumshoe detective novel. Where they targeted stalking victims, they gave no sense of empathy with a client in a frightening situation.

3

Spoke with two voices

Corporate security managers have different concerns and levels of knowledge from stalking victims. Both groups need different things from Security Tactics's website, including different tones of voice.

Copywriters or detectives?

Eric and Cheronne’s natural humility became a running joke during the copywriting project. Steven felt like a detective looking for the right questions to unlock information Eric and Cheronne were too modest to mention, like:

  • Eric's background in major investigations for Queensland Police and as an investigator for major Australian companies.
  • Cheronne presenting herself like the office manager when she is, in fact, a licensed private investigator in her own right.
  • Security Tactics’s equipment includes the same technology spy agencies use, imported from some of the most surveillance-aware countries in the world. The training alone costs thousands of dollars.

By spending the time to ask the right questions and to approach subjects from different angles, we uncovered powerfully persuasive facts to use in website copywriting.

Readers of Security Tactic's website are left in no doubt that the company is the real deal. They're also armed with questions to ask the opposition about the quality of their training and equipment.

What did the true detectives uncover about Taleist?

“I got more than I was expecting from a copywriter,” says Cheronne. “Taleist had a well-rounded approach to the website. They were thinking about more than copywriting; they talked to us about sales, leads and targets. They advised us on photographs to use. I now feel good handing out our web address to someone.”

“It was surprising how easily a Taleist copywriter got his head around an unusual topic and got it into a format that makes sense,” adds Eric. “It didn’t make the business sound sleazy or go over the top.”

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